Execution Watch: John Quintanilla Jr. 7/16 & Vaughn Ross 7/18

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The Lone Star State plans to carry out executions No. 501 and No. 502 this week. Barring stays, Execution Watch will air Tuesday and Thursday, carrying live coverage and commentary for each.

JOHN QUINTANILLA JR., convicted in a 2002 robbery in Victoria that turned deadly, He allegedly entered an amusement arcade with fall partner Jeffrey Bibb, demanded cash from a worker and ordered customers to lie on the floor. The murder victim, a former sheriff’s deputy, was shot three times when he stood up and grabbed Quintanilla’s rifle. Bibb and Quintanilla were charged with capital murder. Bibb received a lengthy prison sentence. Quintanilla’s execution would be the 501st in Texas in the modern death-penalty era.

SHOW LINEUP

Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded — and hosted for 30 years — The Prison Show on KPFT. His internet radio show airs each Wednesday at 2 PM CT.: hmsnetradio.org.

Legal Analyst: JIM SKELTON, a legal educator, retired attorney and native Texan who has seen capital trials from both the prosecution and defense tables. Joining him will be Houston criminal defense attorneys SUSAN ASHLEY,LARRY DOUGLAS,MICHAEL GILLESPIE & JACK LEE.

VAUGHN ROSS, A former architecture student at Texas Tech. He was condemned in the 2001 murders of an 18-year-old woman with whom he was feuding and a Texas Tech associate dean who happened to be with her. Ross’s attorneys argued that police contaminated DNA testing by mishandling it and suggested the slayings stemmed from Birdsall’s visits to “a high-crime area” to patronize prostitutes. Family members of the victims said the death sentence brought them little peace. Family members included Birdsall’s son, Nat, who opposes the death penalty and said his father did, too. Ross’s execution would be No. 502 in Texas in the modern death penalty era.

SHOW LINEUP

Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded — and hosted for 30 years — The Prison Show on KPFT. His internet radio show airs each Wednesday at 2 PM CT.: hmsnetradio.org.

Legal Analyst: JIM SKELTON, a legal educator, retired attorney and native Texan who has seen capital trials from both the prosecution and defense tables. Joining him will be Houston criminal defense attorneys SUSAN ASHLEY,LARRY DOUGLAS,MICHAEL GILLESPIE & JACK LEE.

Featured Interview: VAUGHN ROSS, the condemned man, who granted an interview to Execution Watch several weeks before his scheduled execution. His unedited interview will air in its entirety.